Literary Analysis
The story begins with a discussion of Willam Goldman's life and family and how it relates to the story of the Princess Bride. This story begins with a tomboyish girl named Buttercup, who is also one of the 20 most beautiful women in the world. She works and lives on a farm, along with her mother, father and horse. Westley is their farm boy, who practically runs the farm. Due to a group of Florinese royalty who stop by the farm, Buttercup realizes that she is in love with Westley. As a countess watches in admiration of Westley, Buttercup becomes jealous and notices that she has come to possess strong feelings for this boy that she's known all her life. Buttercup admits to Westley that she is in love with him and he admits that he shares the same feelings. He leaves to America to seek thier fortune.
The Rising Action starts when Westley is tragically reported to have been murdered by the Dread Pirate Roberts. When Buttercup hears the news she is grief stricken and broken.
Because of the murder of her love... she vows never to fall in love again. Prince Humperdinck is introduced to the readers and after hearing about Buttercup's beauty, he takes her as his wife. Buttercup, after entering into the agreement with an understanding that neither will ever love the other, starts her princess training. Three months into it, she's stolen by a group of assassins who were hired to take her to the Guilder line, kill her, and frame a Guilder soldier for the deed. Throughout their travels, they are followed by a "man in black", who ends up defeating both the master swordsman Inigo, and the strong Giant Fezzik, and the genius Sicilian Vizzini. He then steals and drags Buttercup accross the countryside. During their run from the pursuing Prince Humperdinck, the "man in black"'s identity is revealed to be Westley, the farm boy Buttercup was in love with. After their reunion, they quickly fled into the Fire Swamp to escape Prince Humperdinck's army. After going through the swamp, they are met by the army and captured. Buttercup is taken back to the castle to marry Humperdinckand Westley is put in the Zoo of Death to be tortured and eventually killed. After more months of wedding preparations, a miss of Westley on Buttercup's part, and the death of Westley because of Prince Humperdinck, the wedding day arrives.
The climax begins with a countdown on the wedding day. Inigo and Fezzik meet up, and bring Westley back to life by taking him to a miracle man. They then quickly form a plan to save Buttercup and kill Count Rugen. At 5:31 Humperdinck rushes his wedding and is "married" to Buttercup. At 5:34 Inigo makes a speech to Count Rugen saying that Rugen killed his father so it's his time to die and then Rugen flees. At 5:46 Buttercup is thinking about killing herself and looks for a good weapon to carry out this act. At 5:37 Fezzik gives some assistance to Inigo and loses Westley. At 5:48 Buttercup realizes that her love Westley is lying on the bed next to her and is so happy she stops her suicide attempt. At 5:41 Rugen stabs Inigo with a dagger and at 5:50 Humperdinck rushes for his weapon declaring to duel with Westley "to the death" but then is counteracted by Westley when he says "to the pain". At 5:42 as Inigo is about to die he aplogizes to his dead father who is trying to help Inigo fight for his life. Inigo then takes the knife from his stomach and kills Rugen. In the meantime, at 5:52, Westley explains what he means by to the pain...explaining to Humperdinck
that if he chooses to duel and Westley wins, he will keep the prince alive but will cut him up brutfully, leaving only his perfect ears. This makes Humperdinck frightened and Westley demands that Humperdink drop his weapon and he does.
The denouement begins when the action ends. Buttercup ties the cowardly Humperdinck up, Inigo comes in the room, and Fezzik yells out from below the window that he has found four white horses in the prince's stable that they can flee away on. They all jump down and mount to leave. As they turn towards the gates, Humperdinck's police appear and approach them. Surprisingly, however, Buttercup uses her Queen status and demand them to go inside and tend to Humperdinck...so they do. The four friends ride away to their safety and freedom. Wesley and Buttercup promise to outlive each other, so neither will have to live without the other one.
The major theme in The Princess Bride is the everlasting nature of true love. After Buttercup's and Westley's love is established, it is the central idea and focus of the book. True love is repeatedly praised and proven every time Westley saves Buttercup. It's seen in the attitudes of both the main characters, and the devotion of Westley and Buttercup to their respective strengths to please each other. Goldman and/or Morgenstern was really trying to show that Love is the Greatest thing in the World.